Former Deputy Director of the Childcare Protection Agency of the Human Services Ministry, Diana Swan- Lawrence, has disclosed that her resignation is in no way related to the death of 16- year- old Neesa Gopaul.
In an interview with the Guyana Times newspaper last Saturday, Swan- Lawrence said that she tendered her resignation on October 3, 2010. She refuted claims that she was a part of the Gopaul saga.
She related that even though she was the second- in-charge of the Childcare Protection Agency, on numerous occasions she was sidelined. Swan- Lawrence said the workers of the agency are very dedicated and ‘would go the extra mile’ to get their work done, but they are often ‘insulted and degraded’ by a senior official at the agency.
That attitude, she said, had garnered an intolerant and disrespectful relationship between herself and the official. She disclosed that she had some knowledge of the Gopaul case, but it was not being dealt with solely under her office.
In addition, she noted that in a case as serious as Neesa’s, the only person authorised to move an abused child from a home is the director of the agency.
She noted that the ministry needs to investigate the agency thoroughly if it wants to preserve the integrity of that institution.
Employees at the agency also echoed their dissatisfaction with the way a certain senior official has been dealing with cases reported to the agency. Some employees described the official as “unprofessional, impatient, and very disrespectful to employees”.
One employee related that the matter involving Neesa Gopaul had engaged the attention of the agency about a year ago, and was handled by an officer; but when the matter resurfaced, it was given to a very junior officer to be dealt with.
Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand recently declared that the buck stopped with her for the work of the Childcare Protection Agency (CPA), taking responsibility for the failure of the department in helping to save the life of the 16- year- old West Coast Demerara girl who was allegedly murdered by her stepfather.
She also noted that, during the probe, the entire administration and staff of the CPA will come under review. The minister said that the particular officers who were handling the case have not been disciplined yet, and are presently writing their reports.
Manickchand said, too, that she strongly believes that more could, and should, have been done to protect Neesa by all the authorities, sectors, and persons who were aware of the teen’s complaints.
